ENDER'S GAME

Orson Scott Card

ENDER'S GAME

Orson Scott Card

Summary

Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card is a novel about a young boy faced with a colossal task. Andrew Wiggin, better known as Ender is a young boy who starts out his life just as anyone else would; he goes to school, has a family, and a loving sister. Except Ender is unique in some key ways. For example, he possesses something most kids his age don't: an immense knowledge of strategy and war. He is sought out by the IF, or International Fleets, to come train up at their facility in space because they desire his talents and intelligence. When he arrives to the facility, he trains vigorously in preparation for the bugger attack. Buggers are aliens that have attacked Earth before, and almost wiped out humanity completely, the humans barely fought them off. Now, they are planning to attack again, and Ender is set to lead the troops against them, and the only difference this time, is that we are prepared.

Ender Wiggin

Ender is the main character in Ender's Game, as suggested by the title. Ender is the prodigy child who is destined to save the world. From birth, Ender has been recognized as a genius with the potential for greatness. Ender's siblings, Peter and Valentine, who are both older than him, showed the IF potential as well, but when Ender came along, they knew they had found their next commander in charge. Ender exhibited traits they had not seen in his siblings; traits that would help him fight the buggers and prospectively save humanity.

Setting

In Ender's Game, most of the action happens in two main places. On the International Fleet Training Facility and the aircraft Ender commands out of.

International Fleet Training Facility

The International Fleet Training Facility is the location that the majority of the book takes place. Ender strenuously trains here and makes a few friends here as well. This is where Ender gains the skills to face the buggers head on. Without the IF Training Facility, Ender would have been greatly disadvantaged in the war.

Ender's Command Center

Ender's Command Center is where Ender commands the troops against the buggers. Ender uses the equipment in here to communicate with the troops throughout the battle. This is where Ender leads the throughout long, gruesome fight. The technology here helps to give Ender and the human race an opportunity to come out triumphantly.

Book Reviews

"Ender's Game is an affecting novel full of surprises that seem inevitable once they are explained" -New York Times Book Review

"Card has taken the venerable SF concepts of a superman and an interstellar war against aliens, and, with superb characterization, pacing, and language, combined them into a seamless story of compelling power." -Booklist on Ender's Game

"Intense is the word for Ender's Game." - The New York Times

Comparison

Michael Vey: Prisoner of Cell 25 by Richard Paul Evans and Orson Scott Card's Ender's Game are two excellent books that exhibit some key similarities and differences. In Michael Vey: Prisoner of Cell 25, the main character Michael Vey is a teenager with an amazing gift: the ability to generate controllable electricity that he can manipulate. In Ender's Game, the main character Ender Wiggin has a unique ability as well: a brain that has a knack for war tactics and leadership. Although their gifts are different, they both use their powers to save others. In Michael Vey, Michael and his friends work together to save Michael's mother and eventually save the world from the Elgen, a large evil corporation. In Ender's Game, Ender leads a fleet of trained enforcers to fight the buggers, aliens planning to attack Earth for a second time, in order to save humanity. In spite of Ender facing a much larger foe, they are both similar in the aspect of leadership and persistence. In conclusion, both novels have exceptional writing and contain two characters destined for greatness with their own special capabilities.

Recomendation

I would recommend this thrilling novel to anyone looking for a wild read. It isn't an extremely fast paced book, but it does contain many riveting moments that leave your eyes glued to the pages. It is a relatively easy book to read if you pay attention to the details especially. This book contains a few characters with edgy, unexpected traits that you don't see coming. If you're up for the challenge, read Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card; you won't regret it.